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Not all graduates from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Business march off to an office job with a jacket and a briefcase.<\/p>\n
Some, like Alexandria Mahoney, opt for a blue apron, frozen custard and ButterBurgers.<\/p>\n
Mahoney, who graduated from UW Oshkosh in 2016 with a management degree with a focus on entrepreneurship, last year at 28 became one of the youngest Culver\u2019s franchisees in the country. She\u2019s the owner-operator of the Culver\u2019s in Sun Prairie, part of an ownership team with a pair of brothers who have a stake in dozens of locations in four states.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the hospitality part I like most,\u201d said Mahoney, who landed her first Culver\u2019s job at 15. She\u2019s now 29. \u201cAnd at the corporate level, they really care about every franchisee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe regular guests that come in,\u201d she said, continuing her list of favorite parts of the job. \u201cAnd, of course, the food.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first member of her family to earn a college degree, Mahoney started at UWO with the intention of studying education and becoming a teacher. After her first semester, though, she had a long conversation with her general manager at hometown Culver\u2019s in Spring Green who stressed to her that she had a knack for business and there were opportunities ahead with the company.<\/p>\n
She changed majors and didn\u2019t look back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helped tremendously,\u201d she said of her UWO education. \u201cThe business management classes especially. I do a lot of Excel spreadsheets, so the Excel classes, the accounting classes\u2014all of those, once you get into the classes for your degree, those really helped.\u201d<\/p>\n
For those unaware, the Culver\u2019s story began here in Wisconsin. The first restaurant opened in Sauk City in 1984 by the Culver family, including Craig Culver, a 1973 UWO alumnus\u00a0 and one of the University\u2019s best-known and most impactful graduates. There now are more than 740 Culver\u2019s restaurants nationwide\u2014and one\u00a0Culver Family Welcome Center<\/a> on the Oshkosh campus.<\/p>\n As a testament to her work ethic, when not in class or studying, Mahoney was likely running. She spent most of her college career as a member of the Titans\u2019 cross country and track and field teams. She also worked at the Culver\u2019s on Kohler Street while in Oshkosh, and back home at the Spring Green location when on breaks.<\/p>\n Even during a seven-month stint working for an insurance company\u2014\u201dIt just wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d she said\u2014she stayed on at the Spring Green restaurant.<\/p>\n Now she\u2019s running toward more opportunities in entrepreneurship. Another Culver\u2019s is planned to go up in Sun Prairie this year with Mahoney and the same partners\u2014brothers Jeff Liegel and Chad Stevenson\u2014as owners. It\u2019ll essentially double her workload, but she says she\u2019s up to the challenge.<\/p>\n After all she\u2019s accomplished since first putting on the blue apron as a teenager, who can doubt her?<\/p>\n Learn more:<\/strong><\/p>\n